Adam, Gerald, Noah.

THE STORY

Meet Adam, Gerald and Noah, three pals who have set up shop in the surf capital Bundoran in the North West of Ireland. The trio do a canny job of effortlessly bringing sustainability to their cafe, combining their love for surf and coffee under an overarching ethos of “keeping things simple and doing them right”.

Foam doesn’t boast or brag about its sustainability – it naturally embeds it into everyday decisions, from the ethical coffee it serves, the local artists it supports, to the seasonal food it serves up. “We support Irish, sustainable, ethical produce that we believe in.” The lads have created a vibrant, fun and welcoming space for the community, and host regular events such as film screenings and BBQs. “A big element of the cafe is to bring the community together to share ideas and to inject some fun and energy into the area.”

Their circular-economy, covid lockdown project Waste to Waves is a collaboration between design company We Are Others and Foam which upcycles plastic milk bottles from the cafe into handplanes for surfers and swimmers. The bottles are melted, moulded, clamped and then transformed into beautiful mottled handplanes which help swimmers and surfers ride waves faster, for longer and with more control.

Created in a backyard shed by the guys from Foam, the handplanes have been a big hit with customers, but they aren’t measuring the project’s success in sales. As with everything they do at Foam: “The most important part is having fun.”

THE WHY

Our ethical mindset comes from having care for our environment. We don’t have to think about it. We just do it.

THE CHALLENGE

Bring your own reusable cup for takeaways. It’s a small but positive step, and it does make a difference.

THE HOPE

Our hope comes from seeing people's will to change.

THE RECOMMENDATION

BOOK - Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard. DOCUMENTARY - We The Power by Patagonia.

To find out more visit foambundoran.com or follow the lads on Brendan on Instagram @foam.bundoran